Who is the Monster and Who is the Man
by hadesgirl015
Summary: Mythical AU! Humans and mythical creatures used to live peacefully together, but a sudden change in government changed all that. Forcing the creatures to live on the outskirts, being treated as less than human, a small band of creatures try their best to change that.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A Chance Meeting

Kanan cantered off from his herd. It had been about ten years since the change in power of the humans' government, stating now that anyone that was not human not only had to register themselves, but also live on the outskirts of town. It wasn't too bad at first, most creatures could still go into town to get supplies, but soon business stopped serving any being that wasn't human passing.

Kanan lived with his herd of fellow centaurs, being the noble creatures they naturally were, we didn't take to kindly to the new law, causing the government to kill several of us to force us into their submission, Kanan's birth parents had been part of the causalities when he was only a colt. An old family friend, a mare named Depa, had taken him in afterwards and looked after him since.

Life was as good as it could be with the given situation. The centaurs kept to themselves mostly, only going into small towns for desperate supplies, and even then only about 10% of the businesses would even let them into the store.

Kanan loved his herd, even if they were a little overbearing at times. Everyone, especially Depa, was expecting him to find a mate soon, a mare to be specific. He could very well pick a stallion, no one in the herd was against that way of life, but he just didn't swing that way. No his problem was the fact that none of the mares in his herd, or even a neighboring herd really peaked his interests. So sometimes he just had to wander away for a bit, to avoid pretty much everyone trying to set him up on a date with their niece, teacher, pretty much any available mare.

Kanan sighed at the situation of it all. He knelt down by the lake he had cantered off to and got a drink. After he had had his fill he splashed his face with the water. Once his eyes cleared from the water he was shocked to see another face staring up at him. He reared back in surprise.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." the other spoke.

"It's alright," Kanan reassured. He examined the other being. She was a mermaid, with her lower half being green, she wore an orange tank top and had long black hair and fair pale skin. She had partially pulled herself out of the water, so her arms held the top half of her torso up, while her tail flopped the water behind her somewhat. "I didn't know mermaids lived in this lake."

"We don't." she replied. "I just came out this way because my school was being a bit annoying."

"I can understand that." Kanan laughed, he lowered himself again to make the conversation easier. "My name is Kanan."

"I'm Hera," she introduced.

"That's a lovely name." Kanan complimented.

Hera gave a light laugh, "Thanks, yours is nice too."

"So you come here often?" Kanan asked, trying but failing to be smooth.

"Only recently," Hera answered. "My school, my family, have been pressuring me to find a mate. I just need to get away sometimes."

"Yeah, my herd has been doing the same." Kanan replied. "None of the mares really catch my interest though,"

"Yeah, none of the mermen are really interesting either." Hera admitted. "All of them seem to have the same personality, and all of them include me pretty much just staying home doing nothing, but I want to actually do something with my life."

"I can understand that." Kanan said. He sighed, "You seem like the kind of creature who wants to go off and make the world a better place."

"Exactly" Hera confirmed. She used her upper body strength to pull herself out of the water so she was now lying on her stomach on the shore, completely out of the water.

"I didn't know mermaids could leave the water." Kanan admitted, rubbing the back of his tan neck.

"Most of us choose to stay in, but yeah we can leave, as long as we don't get too dried out. We can breathe both in the air and underwater after all." she explained.

"Cool," was all that Kanan could say. The more and more he talked to Hera, the more he became enamored by her. Her beauty, her personality, and her voice, god her voice, it was perfect.

The two continued to talk, about anything and everything, a little bit more about their cultures, their pasts, and their hopes for the future.

"Sorry if this is awkward, but can I stroke your horse half?"Hera asked. "Your fur just looks so fine and soft."

"Go ahead." Kanan answered. It was a very rare thing to allow someone else stroke a centaurs hind quarters.

Hera slowly ran her hand across Kanan's brown fur covered side. "I was right," she smiled. "You're soft."

"Thanks," Kanan said, re-fixing his brown hair to be pulled back after some hair had fallen out of the tie. "It's getting pretty late. Depa is probably wondering where I am by now." Kanan admitted. "Will I see you again?"

"We can meet back here tomorrow." Hera answered. "Is that okay?"

"Perfect." Kanan replied. "See you then."

"Alright." Hera smiled, she hoped back into the water, playfully splashing Kanan with her tail as she did so.

Kanan laughed and got back up carefully stretching his legs bag out. It could be difficult for a centaur to get back up after sitting with their legs folded. He unwrinkled his green shirt and turned to look back in the lake.

Hera had already swam off, presumably back to her school, so Kanan turned and started to gallop back to his herd. He quickly found Depa and approached her.

"You were off for a while." she smiled.

"Yeah, sorry, didn't mean to worry you." Kanan apologized.

"You didn't worry me." Depa answered. "You can take care of yourself. But where were you?"

"Down by the lake." Kanan replied, he started to graze the grass for supper.

"Alone?" Depa asked.

"No, I sort of met someone." Kanan answered.

"Met as in a new friend, or met as a potential mate?" Depa asked.

"A new friend, but maybe it could turn into something more, hopefully." Kanan blushed.

"Oh you finally found a mare that caught your interest?" Depa smiled. "I'm so happy for you."

"Not a mare," Kanan corrected.

"A stallion then?" Depa asked. "Well that's fine by me. As long as you're happy."

"Not exactly a stallion either." Kanan muttered.

"I'm a bit confused, dear." Depa started.

"She's a mermaid, her name is Hera." Kanan admitted shyly. Now while most species of creatures didn't see homosexual love as taboo, like some humans do, nearly all species considered inter-creature love—that is two different creatures falling in love and having a romantic relationship—as one of the worse things possible.

"Oh," Depa replied. She didn't really know how to respond to that. "Does she make you happy?"

"The happiest I've been in a long time." Kanan answered.

"Then I'm happy for you and I approve." Depa smiled.

"You do?" Kanan asked in shock.

"I just want you to be happy." Depa explained. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy. Now I don't speak for the rest of the herd."

"I know." Kanan sighed.

"You may just have to leave," Depa said. "Find a nice place where you and your mermaid can live together."

"That is if anything comes of this." Kanan cut in.

"Of course," Depa smiled. She hugged him, "But you will come visit, won't you?"

"Of course." Kanan smiled back.

Depa sighed, "I can probably expect no grandfoals huh?'

"Hera and I could always adopt." Kanan laughed.

Depa smiled and laughed, "If she's anything like you with your kind heart, you'll probably adopt every stray you come across. I'll probably have a nymph for a grandchild."

"We'll see." Kanan laughed.

"Are you going to see her again?" Depa asked.

"Tomorrow," Kanan answered.

"Well then, you better get some rest." Depa smiled.

"Thanks for understanding." Kanan hugged her.

"Of course dear." Depa hugged him back. "I'll always do my best to understand you."

 **Note: don't try to tell me what the others (i.e. Sabine, Zeb and Ezra) should be cause I already have planned out what they are going to be.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: I'll probably be jumping around between characters until they all meet up, because some stuff is happening nearly simultaneously.**

Chapter 2: Taken

Ezra laid down in his cave besides his parents, his lower body curled around himself. Since his family was Lamias they tended to keep to themselves. Most humans didn't like his species, for some reason. The young child didn't really understand why, he figured it was because their lower half was a snake, and most people didn't like snakes.

As he woke up he uncoiled himself. He felt really tired and sluggish. The cave in the woods had gotten cold during the night. He slowly slithered out of the cave and started to sun himself on the nearby rock to warm up, being cold blooded sure had its downside.

Soon his mom and dad came out and joined him.

"How are you today, snakelet?" Mira asked.

"Okay mommy." Ezra replied. "Cold but warming up."

"Good to hear that." Ephraim smiled, running a hand through Ezra's blue hair, that matched his lower half.

"Are we going to do anything today Mommy?" Ezra asked.

"We're going into town." Mira answered.

"That should be fun." Ezra smiled.

"But remember what we told you." Ephraim reminded.

"Don't draw too much attention to myself." the ten-year old Lamia answered.

"Good boy," Mira replied, "Always remember that."

"But why?" Ezra asked.

"Because the government, the Empire, doesn't like beings like us." Mira answered.

"Lamias?" Ezra asked.

"Pretty much anyone who isn't totally human." Ephraim clarified.

"But why?" Ezra asked. This was very confusing. Were they not nearly the same, just a few different body parts?

"The Empire thinks humans are better than everyone else." Ephraim replied.

"But that's dumb." Ezra reasoned. "Aren't most of us the same from the waist up? What's really the difference?"

"Very much so dear." Mira smiled. "All warmed up?"

"Yes Mommy." Ezra answered.

The small Lamia family started to slither out of the woods and towards the nearby town. Since Ezra was still just a snakelet his tail was significantly shorter than his parents'. His tail was only about nine feet long, while a full grown Lamia's tail got to be anywhere from twenty to twenty-five feet. The child slithered between his parents, like he usually did when they went anywhere.

They finally reached the town and were about to go head into the store. The one problem Ezra usually found with most stores is that it was hard to get in the doors, because the doors tended to close on his tail. He very well knew this would just grow more troublesome as he grew older and his tail grew longer. He's seen his father's tail get smashed in the door many times before. Luckily for them, right when they were about to enter a human girl was walking out, with a smile she held open the door.

"Thanks," Ephraim said as he entered the store.

"No problem." the girl responded, as she held the door open for them all until all their tails were safely in.

Ezra followed his parent's throughout the store. They picked out some food and some other supplies, like a new sweater for Ezra as it was getting colder.

As they were at the counter paying for their items a man walked up behind them and stepped on Ezra's tail.

"Ow!" Ezra screamed and pulled tail closer to him, sniffing, grabbing the end of it, as it was the part that got stepped on.

Mira jerked around as she heard her child's cry. When she realized what happened she gave the man an expectant look, waiting for him to apologize. When he made no move to she turned the look into a glare.

"What?" the man asked.

"You stepped on my child's tail." Mira explained.

"So?" the man asked.

"Aren't you going to apologize?" Mira asked expectantly.

"You want me to apologize to _that_?" the man asked.

Tears started to come to Ezra's eyes from a mixture of pain and the man's words.

If Mira's snake half had been a rattlesnake, she would be rattling up a storm. It took all her self control to not attack the man. Even if most Lamia's weren't venomous, they still had slight fangs that would not be pleasant if one bit you. Also their tail muscles were extremely strong, she could easily wrap it around the man and break his legs.

"Come on dear," Ephraim tried to calm his angered wife. "We're done here anyways."

The small family slithered towards the door.

"Freaks," the man muttered.

Ezra just didn't understand why some people hated them.

As they were slithering down the road Ephraim and Mira noticed some Imperial officers harassing a young satyr on the other side of the street. The satyr was just minding his own business, heading down the street while carrying a box of supplies. The Imperials smacked the box out of his hand.

"Drop something _kid_?" one officer snarkily asked.

The satyr didn't respond, he just tried to get his supplies back together, but as he bent down the other officer kicked him off balance.

"We have to do something." Mira said. "If we don't speak out who will?"

"Ezra, stay right here." Ephraim instructed, handing him the bags of supplies.

"Okay," Ezra nodded taking the bags.

"Hey," Ephraim called as he and Mira slithered over to intervene. "Leave that satyr alone."

"What are you going to do about it?" the first officer asked. "Belly-runner,"

"Now there's no reason to use that sort of language with children around." Ephraim tried to defuse the situation.

"What are you going to do about it?" the officer asked.

The satyr saw his opportunity to grab his stuff and leave.

"There's not necessarily anything I can do, but that still doesn't give you permission to harass other species and use degrading names." Ephraim answered.

"Are you trying to defy the law?" the officer asked.

"What law are we breaking?" Mira asked.

"Questioning an Imperial officer." the officer replied.

"You know, the world was a much better place before you guys put in place all these ridiculous laws that put down anyone who isn't human." Ephraim said,

"That's it, you two are under arrest." the officer said. He and the other brought out handcuffs.

"What exactly for?" Mira asked as she her arms were cuffed behind her back.

"Treason," the officer replied.

Ezra wanted to slither over and protest, but his father locked eyes with him and silently told him to stay out of it.

"Mom, dad," Ezra whispered.

Ephraim and Mira struggled lightly in the officers' grips.

"There's no use struggling. You have no hope." the officer sneered.

"Without hope, we have nothing." Mira spoke.

Ezra knew she wasn't replying to the officer, she was speaking to him.

Ezra watched as his parents were lead away. After they were out of sight he sighed.

"They'll be back soon." Ezra muttered to himself. "I might as well head back to the cave and wait for them to come back."

Ezra waited for hours. Hours turned to days. Days turned to his weeks. Weeks turned into months, but his parents showed no sign of returning.

He rationed the food as long as he could, knowing that he should do his best to stay out of the town, but it was getting hard.

Due to being part snake, he was perfectly capable of eating wild raw game like rabbits, birds, pretty much anything he could catch, but due to the coming winter most birds had migrated and the smaller animals were hibernating. The cave kept getting colder, and it was getting harder to keep warm, which was very important for a cold-blooded creature like him.

"They're not coming back, are they." Ezra muttered to himself as he sunned himself on the rock. Even the rock in the sun was only slightly warmer, he really wished he had a blanket. He had already searched the entire cave in search of money to buy blankets and food, but turned up empty handed.

He curled up further on the rock, trying his best to stay warm, if he got to cold and temporarily shut down, he would be in big danger.


End file.
